Between now and the middle of December, at least four organizations will hold events within a few blocks of Tomball Depot Plaza at 201 S. Elm St. They don't share a calendar or a sponsor. The Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce runs the parade. The City of Tomball runs the tree lighting. The Tomball/Telgte Sister City Organization sponsors the German Christmas Market. The Heart of Tomball Alliance runs an evening shopping stroll. They take turns with the same part of downtown across the season.
Because of that, the season builds in steps. Each weekend adds more to downtown than the one before, and by the second weekend of December, three separate events are running in Old Town at once. If you live here, the order of those weekends decides when to go downtown on purpose and when to drive around it.
Who holds the plaza, and when
| Date | Event | Organizer, sponsor or location | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. Nov. 20 | Pink Friday in Downtown Tomball | Downtown Tomball | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Sat. Nov. 21 | 61st Tomball Holiday Parade | Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce | 10 a.m.–noon |
| Thu. Dec. 3 | Christmas Shop, Stroll & Dine | Heart of Tomball Alliance | 5–9 p.m. |
| Sat. Dec. 5 | Deck the Depot | City of Tomball | 4–8 p.m. |
| Dec. 5–6, 12–13, 19–20 | Trail of Lights | Tomball Methodist Church | 6:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 11–12 | Candlelight Tour | Tomball Museum Center | 6–9 p.m. |
| Dec. 11–13 | German Christmas Market | Tomball/Telgte Sister City Organization | Varies by day |
All of these are listed on the Visit Tomball events calendar. The German market's full schedule is on the Tomball German Festival info page.
The parade weekend asks the most of your car
The season starts with the busiest morning of the year. Pink Friday in Downtown Tomball runs Friday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The next morning, the 61st Annual Tomball Holiday Parade starts at 10 a.m. The parade is presented by Tomball Auto Group, and this year's theme is "250 Years - Main Street Americana," marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The route starts at Elm Street and Main Street and heads west on Main to Buvinghausen. My Neighborhood News reported that Chamber materials have counted more than 160 parade entries and crowds of about 40,000 in past years. That's why the closures reach well past the route itself.
From 7 a.m. to noon on Nov. 21, these are closed:
- North Elm between Main Street and Hufsmith Road
- North Walnut between Main Street and Epps
- The 100 and 200 blocks of Commerce, Houston and Oxford
- South Elm between Main Street and Market Street
- South Walnut between Main Street and Fannin
- The 100 and 200 blocks of Market Street
- The parking lot at Main and South Walnut
The closure that matters most to people who aren't going is FM 2920. It's closed from FM 2978 to Business 249 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If your Saturday errands usually take 2920 through town, plan another route or go before 9.
The first week of December moves into the evening
After Thanksgiving, the season moves from mornings to nights and from the street to the plaza. On Thursday, Dec. 3, the Heart of Tomball Alliance holds Christmas Shop, Stroll & Dine, an evening of holiday shopping and dining in Downtown and Old Town Tomball from 5 to 9 p.m. It falls on a weeknight, two days before the city's big event.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, Deck the Depot fills Tomball Depot Plaza from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission and parking are free. My Neighborhood News, working from City of Tomball information, lists the activities:
- A real snow area for sledding and snow angels
- Santa photos at the plaza gazebo, plus letters to the North Pole
- Crafts, games, giveaways and trackless train rides
- Free hot cocoa and sweet treats while supplies last
- The city's Christmas tree lighting, around 7 p.m.
This year adds Tomball's first holiday drone show at the Depot. It's the one brand-new piece of the city's event, so even families who have been to Deck the Depot many times will see something they haven't seen there before.
That same Saturday, the Trail of Lights at Tomball Methodist Church opens its first weekend, running 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 6. The tree lighting ends at the Depot at 8 p.m., and the Trail of Lights runs until 8:30, so you could do both on one night.
Dec. 11–13 is when everything overlaps
Until now, the events have mostly landed on different days. The second weekend of December is different. The Tomball German Christmas Market returns to 201 S. Elm St. in Old Town, next to the historic Train Depot Plaza, on these hours:
- Friday, Dec. 11, 6 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On the same Friday and Saturday nights, the Tomball Museum Center holds its Candlelight Tour at 510 N. Pine St. from 6 to 9 p.m. The Trail of Lights runs its second weekend on Dec. 12 and 13. On Saturday, Dec. 12, all three are open in the evening.
The market is also the event with the longest history behind it. My Neighborhood News reported that Tomball's German festivals celebrate German families who began settling in the area around 1840, and that they started with a single Oompah band playing from a flatbed trailer. Today there are two festivals a year, one in spring and the Christmas market in December, and TravelMag has named the Christmas market one of the 20 best in the United States.
The best-known moment is Saturday at about 10:30 a.m., when organizers plan the ceremonial keg tapping and a Willkommen ceremony for German exchange students and their Tomball host families. Contests planned during the weekend include a Chicken Dance Contest with prizes for children and adults, a Say It in German Contest, a Yodeling Contest, and a Schuhplattler Contest.
Admission and parking are free, and street parking is available throughout downtown. Organizers also run a free shuttle from the east parking lot of HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. On the busiest Saturday of the season, the shuttle is an easy way to skip the hunt for a downtown parking spot.
The Trail of Lights has one more weekend, Dec. 19 and 20, after the plaza events are over.
Three new places to stop between events
Downtown has new businesses this year that weren't there for last year's holidays. The Tomball Times business timeline lists three that opened this fall:
- Flour House Bakers, 214 W Main St. This sourdough bakery opened its storefront on Sept. 19 with a soft opening offering baked goods, a limited Purefi coffee menu and limited breakfast.
- Southern Oak Brewing, 308 Market St. This brewpub opened Oct. 7 in the former Fire Ant space, with 28 taps and a full kitchen.
- Sno Angels Sno Balls, 525 W Main St. This drive-thru shop serving New Orleans-style sno balls opened Oct. 12.
Flour House and Sno Angels are on West Main Street, the street the parade follows. Southern Oak's address is on the 300 block of Market Street, one block past the 100 and 200 blocks that close on parade morning. Our September look at Old Town Tomball's storefront turnover covers more of this year's openings, and our Tomball weekends guide has more spots to add once the holidays are over.
Carol and the team have spent many holiday seasons on these downtown blocks, and we're always glad to talk about which Tomball streets get busy each December. If the parade or the market has you thinking about Tomball for the longer term, The Hometown Team is here to help. Let's find your next home.
